In this Thursday, May 25, 2017, file photo, an assembly line laborer works alongside a collaborative robot, left, on a chainsaw production line at the Stihl production plant in Virginia Beach, Va. On Tuesday, the Federal Reserve reported U.S. industrial production rose 0.3 percent in September. The gain was viewed as solid, but also limited to the effects of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. industrial production rose a solid 0.3 percent in September, but the increase was limited due to the lingering damage from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

The Federal Reserve said Tuesday that the storms, which struck the Gulf Coast and Florida, held down industrial output by 0.25 percentage points. Still, the manufacturing of automobiles, home electronics and appliances advanced in a potentially positive sign for consumer spending.

Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics, said industrial output should rebound markedly in October now that most of the oil refining capacity shuttered by the hurricanes has reopened.

“Overall, with global trade and economic growth booming and the dollar still down substantially from its peak early this year, the outlook for US manufacturing looks bright,” Ashworth said.

Factory output improved 0.1 percent, while the mining and utilities sectors rebounded from declines in August. Mining posted a 0.4 percent monthly gain, and production at utilities climbed 1.5 percent.

Over the past year, industrial production has risen just 1.6 percent — largely a reflection of the hurricanes over the past two months. Before the storms, the manufacturing sector had been helped by a stronger global economy leading to greater demand for U.S.-made goods.

Other reports indicate an increasingly healthy manufacturing sector.

Greater demand for industrial machinery, autos and aluminum and other metals caused factory orders to rise 1.2 percent in August, a slight rebound after a decline in July, the Commerce Department said this month. The same report includes a category for business investment that increased in both August and July.

Separately, a survey by the Institute for Supply Management said its September measure of factory activity climbed to a 13-year high. The trade association’s index reached 60.8, the best performance since May 2004. Any reading above 50 signals expansion.

Senior aides had presented Trump with a $30 billion tariff package that would apply to a range of products, but Trump directed them to roughly double the scope of the new trade levies. The package could be applied to more than 100 products, which Trump argues were developed by using trade secrets the Chinese stole from U.S. companies or forced...